Kingdom Hearts: Revived
by The Cloak
Summary: Old Foes and Allies alike have been revived 5 years after Kingdom Hearts 2.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Magician

**Prologue**

The Mage walked down the dark alley. It was pitch black except for the neon glow of a building far in the distance. He was confused.

'Why am I here' he thought.

He asked himself this question even though he knew the answer. Even if his mind was unaware, his heart knew why he was at this wretched place. It was to prove that he was right.

There had always been stories. Never was there any proof. Long ago there was a struggle between light and darkness. Light had won in the end, but the bulk of the dark army, his theory stated, had consisted of beings born from hearts turned to the darkness. He believed that when someone's heart turned to the dark then it would separate from their body and soul to become a creature of it's own….a creature of the dark. These days, everyone's heart was filled with light, making it impossible to prove this theory. Nevertheless, he believed in his hypothesis. Now, with the discovery of this new world, he hoped to prove all of those against his theory wrong.

_My liege?_, he heard a voice in his head whisper.

"Who's there?!" he said loudly, conjuring a fireball in his hand.

Then, a creature (humanoid in shape, but not in form) half-walked, half-danced up to him. It was silver, with a black insignia on its chest. It had a zipper where its mouth would be. It slinked toward him slowly.

"Stop!" he yelled as fear made him release the fireball to send it hurtling toward the creature.

The creature raised its legs up and wriggled through the air like a snake, easily avoiding the fireball. Upon landing it's mouth slowly unzipped to show black fangs underneath.

_You are not my liege_, it did not open its mouth, but the Mage heard the voice inside his head. _What is your business in this place?_

He hastily backed away from the creature before turning and sprinting in the other direction. Only when he met the neon glow of the building he had seen overhead did he slow down. He looked up at the building. The skyscraper was black and rose high into the air. It had neon green, purple, and yellow billboards on it (though he couldn't see the point of them, since they were blank). He moved closer, mesmerized by the building, when he stumbled on a small, rusted plaque. He leaned down to inspect it. He carefully examined the rusted plaque until he made out the words:

Memory's Skyscraper

"Memory's Skyscraper" he said quietly to himself. That was the name of the building, but what meaning could the name hold. What had made this skyscraper so important that they'd give it a plaque?

His thoughts were interrupted when the slim figure came wriggling through the air at him. He froze for a second then jumped to the side. The silver creature from before landed where the magician had been standing. The mage created another fireball in his hand.

"Be gone!" he screamed as he thrust his arm out, shooting the fireball in the creature's direction. Again, the creature easily wriggled its way through the air around the fireball and landed directly in front of the magician.

_You,_ the voice in his head said threateningly,_ if you have no business here, then leave immediately._

The mage, seeing another road beyond the skyscraper, ran past the building and onto the road. He kept running until he saw the edge of a cliff in front of him. He stopped quickly. He was on the edge of a cliff, but it wasn't the great chasm that he was awed by. It was the building beyond the chasm. Levitating above the crater was a castle. A castle of unbelievable size. Then, he noticed a blue glow. He looked to his right and saw a blue keyhole-shaped portal on the edge of the crater. Not wanting to meet the creature behind him again he stepped into the portal.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter I: Old Heroes**

Two men walked along a small, but beautiful beach. One of them had silver hair (though this was not from age, he had had it all his life.) that hung down almost to his shoulders. The other had spiky brown hair. They talked together as they walked down the beach, and then headed to their homes. These two men had once been warriors. They had been warriors since the age of 14. Hard to believe that that was only 5 or so years back. Then, when all darkness had been destroyed they had come back to their home world of Destiny Islands to be greeted with open arms. Their names were Sora and Riku.

"It's hard to believe it's only been a couple years since we got back, isn't it?" said Riku, the silver-haired man.

"Yeah. Now, I guess we just get to relax as a reward of what we did." Sora replied.

"You're just saying that because you're lazy." Riku teased. "I still wish that there was more going on around the islands, though."

"Riku, remember the last time you wanted more adventure?" Sora asked.

Riku then got serious. "Yeah. I put you all in danger. Sometimes, I don't think I can forgive myself."

"Well then you're the only one! Everyone else has!" Sora said, unable to believe his friend's prolonged guilt.

Just then there friend Wakka ran up to them. Sora and Riku didn't expect him to be here. Tidus and Wakka were minor league Blitzball players and rarely got time off.

"Hey guys." Wakka said impatiently. "The Blitzball tournament is starting on TV! Tidus is already there."

"The Blitzball WORLD Tournament!" Sora screamed. "I forgot all about it!"

Sora ran over to Tidus's house. Riku and Wakka fell in behind him. When Sora reached Tidus's doorstep he yanked the door open.

"Has it started yet!" he said anxiously.

"Almost, I'm pretty sure that this is the last commercial!" Tidus replied.

Riku stepped in and laughed. Nothing had changed. Even through the years Tidus, Wakka, and Sora had kept their almost abnormal obsession with Blitzball. Riku personally was indifferent to the sport, but he watched just to keep his friends happy.

The announcer's voice boomed throughout the house (Tidus had set the volume to MAX) catching Riku by surprise and almost making him fall down. Wakka wasn't as lucky. He face planted the ground.

"Tidus! I like Blitzball and all, but you could turn down the volume, ya." Wakka said rubbing his head.

"Sorry." Tidus replied a bit sarcastically and turned the volume down to medium.

By the end of the game Sora was screaming in joy, Tidus was standing on the couch with his arms raised in the air, and Wakka was pounding his fists on the table. Sora and Tidus had wanted Viggo Rollig to win (who had made an amazing comeback from fifth to first and won the trophy), while Wakka had been voting for Psymon Stark (who had come in eighth). Riku chuckled at his friends. It was amazing how they could still have the spirits of children.

"That was the best game I've ever seen!" Tidus said, stepping off the table and breathing heavily.

"Speaking of games, why are you and Wakka here?" Riku asked. "Isn't there the minor league season still going?"

It was clear that neither Wakka nor Tidus would reveal any information so Sora and Riku gave up. They said goodbye and walked home. The moon was just coming out. Twilight always made Riku think more about life.

"Hey, Sora?" Riku asked. "It seems like we're the only ones left on the islands sometimes, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked confusedly.

"Well….Wakka and Tidus are Blitzball players so they're usually not here….and Kairi left a long time ago because of that travel deal."

"Yeah…I guess I know what you mean." Sora said sadly.

They remembered Kairi leaving Destiny Islands to travel the worlds. She wanted to see everything that Sora and Riku had seen and refused their protection when they had offered it. She said that she didn't need protection now that she had her own Keyblade. Sora and Riku had respected her choice, but were still worried. They reached their houses. Riku said goodbye to Sora and retreated into his house. He was hardly tired, in fact he always felt most alive at night. However, this particular night, he felt completely drained of energy. Maybe it was the excitement of the Blitzball game. Probably not, but what ever it was, he was asleep within a matter of minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter II: Vision from the Past**

_Riku saw himself at age 15. He heard yells and whispers. Everyone was talking at once. He could only make out a few sentences._

"_No! You won't use me for this!"_

"_The darkness will destroy you."_

"_We can't let fear stop us!"_

"_You're just as lazy as he is."_

"_It is I, Ansem: Seeker of Darkness!"_

"_The door has opened."_

_He saw himself later on just waking up to find himself in a large gray cave._

"_Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway."_

"_Where's the king? We closed the door together but then…"_

_Then he was older….much older. He had donned an Organization XIII cloak and had began working with Diz._

"_Is it that hard to make a beach?" _

"_Why? Why do you have the Keyblade?"_

"_The power inside my heart. The power suppressed by my heart."_

_Then he saw a flash of images before his eyes. Lexeaus fading into the darkness. Zexion teleporting away just before Riku finished him. Xehanort's Heartless summoning the Guardian. Riku taking the final swipe, and seeing Xehanort's Heartless burst into darkness. Departing onto the Road to Dawn._

_An image of Roxas appeared in his head._

"_I'm myself. I'm me!"_

"_What do you mean? You're the one that's losing!"_

_Roxas faded away and was replaced with an image of Sora._

"_Riku! Riku's here."_

"_You've been hanging out in the darkness too long."_

"_We'll go together."_

_Then, Kairi's image appeared._

"_Riku! It really is you."_

"_So you noticed."_

Riku bolted upright from his hectic dream. Too many memories at one time. Sometimes he felt like he would collapse under all the pressure. Then, he heard a chiming sound. He got up to investigate. He headed down the hallway to the living room. The sound grew louder. He realized that it was coming from his computer. He stared at the monitor. It had a downloading bar on it.

Downloading: 98

Then the computer moved up to 100. An image appeared on his screen. It looked like a red circle.

"What is this?" Riku asked himself quietly.

The red circle disappeared and then a screen popped up.

Riku! It's taken me forever to find you.

Riku sat down at the computer. Who was sending this and why had his computer had to download it?

Riku! I know you are there. You can't toy with me just because I am in this sorry state.

Riku realized that it was waiting for a response. He pulled the keyboard closer toward him and began to type.

**Who are you?**

My, my….. you haven't progressed much have you?

**Who is this?**

I am Ansem the Wise. Though you personally Riku, know me better as Diz.

Riku almost fell out of his chair as he read the words. Ansem the Wise! Diz was alive! However, Riku knew how Xehanort's Heartless had taken the name Ansem to hide his true identity. Riku was skeptical about this person.

**Ansem is dead. I saw him die.**

You saw my machine explode. That machine was being used to transform Kingdom Hearts into data. When it exploded, I too was transformed into data. I have been searching for a way to contact you ever since I got my power back.

This really was Ansem! Riku knew that only the real Ansem the Wise would have known what happened at The World That Never Was.

**That was the same explosion that turned me from Xehanort's Heartless back into myself.**

I knew that this subject would come up eventually.

**What do you mean?**

You realize that after the explosion that turned me to data, you returned to normal.

**Yes.**

Well, of course, Xehanort's Heartless had to go somewhere. He became data also.

Riku was shocked. After all the battles that Sora and Riku had pitted against him, Xehanort's Heartless was still in existence.

**Could he be here too?**

No. I took all the necessary precautions. I am certain that he is not in this computer. However, he could be within range. Perhaps on Destiny Islands if he tracked me here.

**Can we stop him?**

Not in my current state. What I need you to do is travel to Twilight Town, go to my computer console, and upload me into the real world. From there I can lure Xehanort into my computer then run a program that will delete him.

**When do you want me to do this?**

I suggest you start now. The sooner the better. Don't tell anyone about this. We don't want to be followed.

Riku gaped at the screen. Diz wanted him to leave right now. Without saying goodbye or even telling anyone where he was going!

**You just want me to leave everyone behind!**

I know that you have a place here Riku. I'm sorry, but you must understand! This is for the good of everyone.

Riku realized that Ansem was right. He had no choice. He had to do it, or there would be a chance of Xehanort's Heartless escaping.

"I'm sorry everyone." Riku said quietly to himself as he snuck out the window.

He ran to the port and started up his boat. He was surprised that nobody heard him. He silently said his goodbyes, released the anchor, and set sail for where he had hidden his Gummi Ship.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter III: Revived**

The Mage heard the sound of something writhing through the air and began to run even faster. His name was Kegan. Normally he would have been braver than this, but now he knew that his attacks couldn't hurt these strange creatures. So he ran from room to room of the castle, each room stranger than the last. Even stranger, everything in each room, even the floor, was suspended over a gray pit. He ran until he found a door opening. The sound of those white things…fluttering through the air had subsided. He found himself staring at the door opening and, for the first time, noticing a name next to the door.

_Proof of Existence_

"What could that mean?" he wondered. This place had intriguing names for its locations. There must be some meaning behind them. He slowly walked into the room. What he saw astounded him. Eleven red squares lit on the ground. He steeped closer to them. Looking at them backwards he saw:

**The Key of Destiny**

_Under it there was a picture of two oddly shaped swords._

**The Savage Nymph**

_A picture of a strange knife_

**The Graceful Assassin**

_A large scythe that took up the entire square_

**The Gambler of Fate**

_A card with strange symbols on it_

**The Melodious Nocturne **

_A sitar with a spiked end_

**The Flurry of Dancing Flames**

_A pair of chakrams_

**The Luna Diviner**

_A large claymore_

**The Cloaked Schemer**

_This grave was broken and Kegan couldn't make out the picture under it_

**The Silent Hero**

_An oversized tomahawk_

**The Chilly Academic**

_A shield with spikes along its perimeter_

**The Whirlwind Lancer**

_A spear with a wicked-looking tip_

**The Freeshooter**

_An object that looked completely indecipherable until he combined the name and overall shape—a deformed gun_

He began to get excited. These looked almost like graves! Could these have been a group of the former inhabitants! Then, as he looked up, he saw a gaping dark hole at the other side of the room. It had a plate that said:

_The Altar of Naught_

Swallowing his anxiety, Kegan stepped forward. The next thing he saw was a staircase. He followed it as it led to a large platform. There, lying on the floor, was a black cloak. He ran to it. It was obviously old. When he bent down to touch it, shivers ran down him.

"What is this doing here?" he wondered. " Who could it have belonged to?"

Then he saw a piece of paper fall out. It was faded and looked more like a scroll than a piece of paper. He bent down to read it and gasped… a revival spell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter IV: Gone**

Sora woke up with a pounding headache. That seemed strange, since he couldn't remember getting hit yesterday. However, he didn't let it stop him. He got up, got dressed and stepped outside. He immediately knew something was wrong. Destiny Islands was a small world, but there was always _someone_ doing something. The streets looked deserted. Then, he saw Selphie running down the road at full speed.

"Selphie!" he called out.

She stopped and looked at him.

"Why aren't you down at the beach?" she asked gasping for air.

"Should I be?" he asked. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"

"It's Riku!" Selphie said in a panicked voice, still trying to recover her breath. "He's gone missing!"

Sora stopped dead in his tracks. Riku was gone. Everything was playing out like before. Riku could never be taken down by anyone except their former enemies. No ordinary person could have kidnapped him. That left two possibilities. He either ran away or was taken by Maleficient. Organization XIII was gone. Xehanort's Heartless was gone. That only left Maleficient as the perpetrator. The hate that he felt for her flared to the surface. He wanted to swing his Keyblade out against the world. Break down the ones that he hated. He felt strange. Those couldn't be his feelings. He had never truly _hated_ anyone, even Maleficient. This had been coming up again and again. He'd feel extreme emotion whenever anything bad happened. _Roxas._ The name came into his head, as it always did whenever he felt like this.

"Sora! What are you waiting for?!" Selphie practically screamed at him.

Sora pulled himself away from his thoughts. Now was not the time. He ran with Selphie down to the beach. When he reached the sandy shore, he saw the entirety of the Island's residents crowding around the beach. He saw a 'missing person' sign on almost every phone pole. On Destiny Islands, that hardly mattered. The town was so small that everyone would have noticed any possible sign of him. When Sora got down to the beach, he managed to find Tidus and Wakka.

"What do you think could have happened to Riku?" Tidus asked.

Sora missed Wakka's answer as another feeling of anger and nausea fell over him. It racked his muscles until his arms and legs burned. He stumbled out of the crowd onto the empty stretch of beach. In one instant, he lost all the energy he had, and fell down onto the sand. Right before his head hit the ground, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blonde-haired boy land right beside him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter V: Radiant Garden**

Riku struggled to regain control of the ship. He wasn't use to flying—he had almost no experience outside of the hovercycle in The World That Never Was, and even that was different than a Gummi Ship—he used to be able to travel along the corridors of darkness. Now he had lost that ability and was suffering for his inexperience.

He pushed the wheel to one side as quickly as he could—which as soon as he did it, realized it was a tragic mistake. The ship turned too tightly, too sharply. His head hit the window and he passed out.

"Where am I?" he asked quietly—and immediately remembered several other times he had said that in his life. He sat up and leaned against a building beside him. He finally got a good look around. He had landed in Radiant Garden.

Just like when I was 14, he thought, except now Maleficent isn't here. Thank goodness for that.

"Riku?!" he heard a voice shout. He was still too dizzy to make out the voice." Riku…how did you…? Those wounds look pretty bad. Can you walk?"

Riku was sure that the voice was familiar. He turned his head and saw Leon looking at him.

"Leon." Riku said weakly.

Leon helped the Riku up and let him lean on his shoulder as they walked.

"I'm going by Squall again. There's no more shame connected to that name."

Riku tilted his head up to see where they were going.

"We're heading to Merlin's house. Cid and Merlin should be able to heal you."

They stepped into the house and everyone turned toward the door. Riku's had just gotten hit by another stab of pain from his stomach and didn't see all the people in the room.

"It's Riku!" he could tell from the voice that it was Yuffie.

"What happened!?" Aerith said worriedly.

"I found him this way." Squall replied. Someone bent down next to him.

"This boy is injured…but I don't think it's life-threatening." Merlin said.

After that Riku couldn't fight unconsciousness anymore. He blacked out.

**--**

As he slowly woke up he saw the darkness of night through the window. He had been dreaming… about Xehanort's Heartless taking him over. The nightmare had ended when he told Kairi to run away. He tried to get up. Both his sides were sore, but he put up with it. He needed to clear his head. He limped outside without waking anyone.

As he stared up at the night sky, he didn't notice someone walk up next to him.

"How did you get here?" Cloud asked.

"Cloud…" Riku managed to say without hurting his sides too much. He hadn't known Cloud as well as the others. He hardly knew Cloud at all.

"I need to know how you got here!" Cloud said in what sounded like an angry whisper.

What did Cloud want with him? "My Gummi Ship." He responded.

"Is it still working?" Cloud asked in a slightly more hurried tone. "How fast can I learn to fly it?"

"What do you want?" Riku asked.

Cloud sighed, as if he really didn't want to explain himself.

"Sephiroth hasn't been seen for a long time now." He said. He sounded genuinely worried. "I'm afraid that he might be heading to Midgar to find Jenova."

Riku had questions, but he decided to hold his tongue.

"I have friends in Midgar…but I'm not sure if Vincent and Barret can take down Sephiroth on their own."

Riku decided that he should say something now. "Sometimes…you have to trust your friends abilities' more than you'd like. Most of the time, they'll do better than you think."

"I'll remember that." Cloud said. "But still, either Cid or Merlin can make a portal to the space outside Midgar. I just need a ship so I can get to Midgar from there."

Riku decided that Cloud's situation didn't sound quite as important as his own.. "Once we repair my ship… I'm going to have to use it."

"Okay." Cloud said, though he looked disappointed as he walked back into the night.

"Was that Cloud?" Leon asked as he walked out of the house.

Riku laughed a little. "Looks like I can't even get some fresh air without being attacked by questions."

Leon chuckled a bit, but didn't seem in a very good mood.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked.

"Ussually Cloud is always the one that will tell us to calm down when an argument gets out of hand." Leon said slowly. "He's usually the silent one that only interferes to stop us from doing something stupid… You know what I mean?"

"Kind of." Riku responded.

"We're seeing a new side of him now. "Leon continued. "Now he's the hasty one running off without precaution…and it's all because of one person—Sephiroth."

Riku realized that he had done just what Cloud was doing right now. Running off without caution. Except this time Diz had told him to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VI: The Key**

Sora woke up and began to crawl to his knees. His head was still spinning, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a blonde boy doubled over on the ground.

"Tidus… do you know where we are?" Sora asked him.

"Who…Who's Tidus?" The blonde boy asked.

Sora's vision began to improve and he saw that, indeed, the boy wasn't Tidus. In fact, he was wearing an Organization XIII cloak!

Sora scrambled to his feet and summoned his keyblade. " I thought that all of you guys were done for!"

"Me too." The boy replied.

The name appeared in Sora's head again…_Roxas_.

"R…Roxas?" Sora asked.

The boy got up and looked Sora in the face. It was Roxas.

"I…I thought you were gone." Sora said.

"So did I." Roxas replied. "Apparently something awoke me from inside you."

Sora stayed silent. Neither of them had any answers.

"Do you know where we are?" Sora asked.

They took a long look around for the first time. They had both been here before. What was it called?

"The Alley of Between." Roxas said. "Follow me."

Sora followed Roxas through the street. It looked like they were in a city. Then, all of a sudden, Sora knew where they were. The World That Never Was. Roxas eventually led him to a huge skyscraper.

"Memory's Skyscraper" Roxas said. "It's where you and I fought. Riku and me fought. And where you and Xemnas fought. Of course, all of us are intertwined at this place."

Then, a sickening thought hit Sora. "Could the rest of the Organization be back also?"

"I don't know." Roxas answered. "Maybe I'm all that's left."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VII: Replica**

_She's not the only one who's sick of you._

_I'll take care of Namine._

_You don't care about me Sora._

_Where will my heart go?_

Something had pulled the puppet out of the dark…or light. He couldn't tell which. Even so, he was back… here. Where it had all ended. Twilight Town. The place where he had been slain. By the one who resembled him most. However, he had a strange feeling…as though he had something that he had to do here. He wasn't sure what, but he'd let his instinct guide him. It led him to an old mansion. The gate was locked. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest.

He moaned. "What's going on?"

He summoned his blade and opened the gate. The pain suddenly got stronger. He stumbled to the door. It, strangely, was not locked. However, at that moment he didn't care. The pain had begun throbbing in his head. The only reason that he didn't sit down and scream was his determination.

_I have something to do here._ He thought._ There's something here that I have to do._

He limped into the secret room that, somehow, he knew was there.

_I've never been in this mansion before, but I knew where this room was. How did I…_

An outrageous pain in his chest and head stopped his thoughts. He screamed. Even so, he kept on walking…and reached a room with several computer screens in it. Somehow, he knew to sit down in the chair and write a simple message.

Are you there?

He didn't know why he wrote it or what he was suspecting to happen, but something did happen.

**I've been waiting for a long time. Were you held up?**

He didn't know how to respond-and couldn't because just then a flash of pain almost paralyzed him. Eventually he crawled back into the chair he had been sitting in. Another message was waiting on the screen.

**I've already installed the program from inside the computer. You just have to press 'Run'.**

He obeyed and then a loading bar appeared on the screen. After it completed loading the teleporter began constructing a man in red robes into the room.

--

"Riku, I must thank you. You perhaps saved my…" Ansem was cut off there, when he saw him lying on the floor.

"Riku!" he said and rushed to his side. "This is strange. He's in the same clothing as when he was taken over by the darkness."

It was true. He was wearing his red and black musclesuit. Diz cast a Curaga spell on him. He got up but, despite the high power level of the spell, didn't seem any stronger.

Riku looked at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Riku, I'm Ansem. Do you not remember? What happened?" Ansem replied.

Riku looked into his eyes.

"My gosh. You…look exactly as you did when I first met you. What happened?" he asked again.

Riku didn't answer. Ansem didn't understand. Riku had grown and matured in leaps and bounds when he first met him. Now he was exactly like when Diz first met him. Then a possibility dawned on him. Knowing that Organization XIII was capable of such things, he had to ask.

"Are you truly Riku?" Ansem asked.

"No…" the boy said slowly. "I'm…I'm just someone's pet puppet."

Ansem knew what had happened now. It had to have been Even…No, his apprentice was gone, it was Vexen that did this. Vexen had cloned Riku. All of a sudden, he saw the boy start clutching his head and screaming.

"What is it!" he shouted.

"I don't know…" the boy replied, still clutching his head, but not screaming anymore. "It's been happening ever since I woke up."

Ansem, despite being quite intelligent, was thoroughly confused. He had no way of helping this boy.

"Come and rest." Ansem said, leading the boy to the only sleeping quarters in the entire lab.

The boy lie down and rest. Under the blankets he began to sweat, but without them he would shiver. Ansem, who knew little to nothing about children, drew the blankets halfway over him and returned to his computer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX: Castle Oblivion**

The darkness enveloped her…except…instead of pulling her in now it was pushing her out of its grasps. She opened her eyes and looked around the room she was in. It was the same one she had died in – the same floor, the same exact spot.

She felt as static electricity pulled her hair into two antennae-like parts. She pushed herself to her feet. How had she gotten here? Wait…it was starting to come back to her…right, those three losers had…destroyed her. Pathetic. She couldn't allow herself to be humiliated like that. She'd just have to find them and return the favor.

Feeling satisfied now that she had a mission, she began to walk up to the top floor of Castle Oblivion. How had she been revived anyway? Oh well, she'd take it no matter how it came. For now, she would find Marluxia and re-establish their plans – then she could find those twerps and kill them off.

The Reaper was pulled from the nothingness…he awakened in a gray chamber. He got to his feet and threw off his hood. He watched as the rose petals showered down around him, then disappeared as they hit the floor.

He had been destroyed by his own plan. It was Sora who had done this. Ruined his plan. He would exact his revenge, but first he needed followers. He now knew that Larxene wasn't enough. He needed the entire Organization at his back.

Of course…there would be difficulties. Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Larxene were all dead…unless they were revived, too. Even so, Zexion would never follow him. The idiotic caste of Xemnas had instilled in the Organization.

But once he took control of the Organization, the others might follow him. His plan could still be a success.

He awoke on the lying facedown on the floor. He slowly pulled his bulk to a standing position. He looked down on the ground. There was a puzzle piece lying next to him. He picked it up and examined it. It was the piece of the puzzle that had gone missing on the puzzle he used to kill his time with.

Lexaeus pocketed it and began to travel down the stairs. He would have to find Zexion. If Marluxia is still alive then he'd still be plotting his rebellion. How long had it been since he died? He had no measurement of time so, he could only assume. It could have been anywhere from a few weeks to years. He'd just have to wait and see.

Lexaeus walked down the basement stairs until he reached Zexion's chamber. He opened the door to find it empty. What had happened? Was Zexion out on a mission? He summoned a Dusk.

_My liege…_ The Dusk said. _It has been a long time._

"How long?" He asked.

_A few years…5 to be exact._ It answered.

5 years…hmm. How many Nobodies could have died or defected in 5 years?

"How many members are left?" He asked.

_The keyblade wielders destroyed them all…but strange things have been occurring. The Organization is being revived._

Very interesting. Only a highly powerful mage could be reviving the Organization.

_The source of the power is coming from The Castle That Never Was._ The Dusk finished.

Lexaeus would have to investigate The Castle That Never Was…but for now he'd search Castle Oblivion. He walked up the stairs to the upper levels.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X: The Castle that Never Was**

He woke up lying on the hard ground. It took him a moment to register the fact that he was, here, alive. He slowly picked himself up to his feet. He had only one thought. _Kill Sora._ That was easier said than done, of course. Sora had been able to beat the entire Organization – including the Superior!

"So, I'm just gonna give up?" He asked himself. "Because he killed the others?…As if."

And with that, the man warped away from the empty stadium he had awoken in.

--

He looked around at his familiar surroundings. _Havoc's Divide_. Well…he didn't know how, but now he was alive. Well, now he could focus on the Organization's goal again. He could finally get himself a heart. That'd be nice.

"So now the game begins…" The man said quietly to himself.

--

He stared up at the glowing moon of Kingdom Hearts. Just looking at it seemed to refill his lost power. Somehow, he knew it was time to fulfill his lost goals. Well, he had no goals of his own – just the Superior's. Speaking of which, the Superior should be coming back to life any minute now. He could already hear his voice in his head. Soon, he would be allowed to be unchained again – and he would wait for the end of the earth eagerly for that moment.

--

He found himself on the Altar of Naught – staring up at Kingdom Hearts. He was most likely the only one who knew how they had been revived. He had set the plan. And the plan had succeeded. Now he just had to check who had activated the plan.

Keegan stared in awe at the cloaked and hooded man before him. After he recited the spell, instantly the cloak had become like new and a body had appeared inside it. This…this could finally prove his theory.

"Who…who are you?" he asked in awe.

The man slowly turned toward him. "I'm all that's left, or maybe I'm all there ever was."

Keegan didn't see any sense in that, so he pushed further. "May I have…a name?"

"My name is of no importance. Yours however, is – what is your name?"

"K…Keegan," Then cautiously added. "Sir."

The cloaked man seemed to debate this. Then he looked into the sky…at the giant glowing heart that Keegan had saw when he first arrived here.

"You have given us another chance at a new heart." The cloaked man said.

"U…us?" Keegan asked excitedly.

The cloaked man turned away from the heart and looked at Keegan.

"Gather my comrades." He said slowly, and to Keegan's horror, another one of the gray beings appeared next to the hooded man.

The gray being writhed down the staircase. The cloaked man went silent and stared up at the heart once again.

"What is that?" Keegan asked.

Without turning to face him, the cloaked man answered. "Kingdom Hearts."

The name sent a chill down Keegan's spine. HE didn't know why, but that name…it was…

Then all of a sudden, the gray being appeared…and 3 black holes appeared behind it. Three men walked out of the holes – presumably portals, Keegan thought – and stood there. One's eyes were on the first man, the other two were looking at Keegan.

"Who's he?" One of them asked.

"Number Two." The first man said. "He is the one that has cast the revival spell upon us."

"Ah, I see." The other man said. "You must possess a rather large amount of magic powers."

"Yes, I do." Keegan answered.

"Hmm. You may call me Luxord. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Okay, Luxord." Keegan said.

"Hey!" Number Two said. "First-name basis for members only. Outsiders use our numbers. Two, Ten, Seven, and One."

"Fine." Keegan answered.

"Good. If you're gonna hang with us, you gotta know our rules."

Hang with them? As in, become a member? That fast?!

"Saix." The first man – Keegan assumed he was the leader – told the man standing next to him. "Go to Castle Oblivion and see to the others."

"Yes, Superior." Saix said and disappeared through a portal.

"When you say, 'see to the others' you mean Number Eleven?" Number Two asked.

"Yes. An unfortunate side-effect of our revival is that it brought back the entire Organization. However, I'm fairly sure that Saix can take care of the traitors."

"Ya, I know he _can_." Number Two said. "But what if Marluxia beats him?"

"Hmph." Luxord – Number Ten – said. "I highly doubt that a neophyte such as Marluxia has better fighting skills than our second-in-command."

The first man – The Superior – ignored the conversation and continued staring into the giant glowing heart.

Keegan decided that it was time to prove his theory. "Are you…beings of the dark?"

The Superior looked to him and said, "Let me tell you what 'Nobodies' are."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI: The Nocturne**

Riku and Squall were training against each other in the bailey. Squall swung at Riku, and he was able to block the attack. Squall backed away and shot a fireball. Riku shot his own and they collided and filled the bailey with smoke.

It took a while for the smoke to clear; they were about to continue their spar when Yuffie ran in.

"Squall!" Yuffie said. "There's something wrong back in town!"

Squall and Riku immediately followed Yuffie through the bailey and into town. It looked like they were heading towards the Great Maw, but Yuffie stopped at a corner before they reached it.

"He's over here guys." She said.

They peeked around the corner…and Riku felt a shock go through him.

_Organization XIII! They're back…or is this guy the only one?_ Riku wondered with shock.

A man in a black cloak stood on a large floor painting of a green and blue design. The man in the cloak was looking down at his hands and feet – as if he were surprised to find himself alive. Squall must've recognized the cloak too, because he stepped out behind the corner and pointed at the man.

"You." He said. "We just restored Radiant Garden. We're not letting you steal it."

The man in the black cloak looked up in surprise, then as Leon drew his gunblade, the cloaked man looked almost afraid.

"Whoa, whoa!" He said in a high-pitched voice. "I have _no_ idea why I'm here too. Maybe we can, y'know, talk this out?"

"Not interested." Squall said. "Get out."

"Aw, man." He said. "I don't wanna fight."

In answer Squall ran at him and swung down his blade. The cloaked man quickly made a portal and then reappeared behind Squall.

"Guys, I'm not here to fight anymore!" He said, in what sounded to Riku, like a whining voice.

Riku, tired of this guy acting so innocent, joined Squall in the battle. He jumped up and came down swinging his keyblade. He hit the Organization member in the back and he stumbled forward.

"Fine!" He said, as he regained his balance. "If that's what you want, then you'll get it!"

The man took off his hood. Riku recognized him; Sora said that his name was Demyx. He summoned a sitar from out of thin air and pulled it close to him.

Squall ran at him and swung his gunblade forward. Demyx caught it with the spikes on the end of his sitar. Squall backed away, and charged forward again, accompanied by Riku. Demyx foresaw and blocked Squall's sword, but failed to see Riku's and got hit aside. Squall took advantage of the moment by shooting off a fireball as Demyx stumbled back.

Demyx fell on his back. The two swordsmen ran at him, but he strummed his guitar and a dome of water sprang from the ground. Demyx, protected by the dome, took his time getting up. When he picked up his sitar, he began playing again.

"Dance, Water, Dance!" He yelled, as water forms rose up around him.

Riku and Squall were surrounded. They stood back to back and both shot Firaga spells that evaporated a whole group of the Water Forms. Squall re-adjusted his grip - holding his gunblade like a gun instead of a sword - and began shooting down the Forms. Riku sliced into one and then blocked another's attack. When he stabbed that one, it turned into a puddle of water. This was bad. They were beggining to overwhelm Squall and Riku. Riku jumped in fornt of Squall and made a forcefield right before Squall was hit. He shot down the Form.

Despite the numbers of their enemies Riku and Squall were begining to win.

"Riku." Squall said.

"Yeah?"

"You handle the forms, I'll get the Organization."

"Got it."

Riku distracted the swarm of Water Forms while Squall made his way out.

"Stay back!" He yelled as he raised his arm in the air.

Riku watched in awe as a 18 foot tall beast appeared out of a pillar of fire. It had a deep red mane and two horns sticking out of its head.

"Ifrit! Hell Fire!" Squall yelled, and the beast jumped in the air, summoned a meteor, and slammed it against the ground.

Riku looked around. His Dark Shield had protected him, but all the Water Forms were gone, and Demyx's dome of water had evaporated.

Demyx looked scared out of his life. Squall drew his Gunblade along with /riku and they prepared to finish him.


	12. Chapter 12

**I know it's been a while. Sorry, I just haven't had the time to sit down and work on this for a while. I still don't actually. Probably not gonna finish my homework because of this. But I guess all my wonderful fangirls and boys are worth a little more than one bad grade.**

**Chapter XII: The Flurry of Dancing Flames**

He awoke suddenly. He was lying on his back on the ground. He pushed himself up and looked around. He was in a large open blue-green area – Betwixt and Between – the area where he had caused his own demise. His plan had been brilliant, but he hadn't actually been alive to see if it worked or not. Had his best friend awoken?

Well, whether his friend had awoken or not, why had he himself awoken? These questions swirled through his head as he thought. Could it be possible that this was happening to the entire Organization? In that case…he had to check the Castles. Xemnas…Marluxia…the two members he loathed most, each lords of their individual castle…if they were back. Than his friend was back too. He'd check the Castle That Never Was first, he decided after a moment of deliberation.

He stepped out of his portal to the Alley of Between. He looked around. Since when was it so dark? He looked into the pitch-black sky…and was shocked. Where the infamous Kingdom Hearts had been, there was now dark, empty space. That kid, Sora, had done it. He had stopped Xemnas. Unbelievable. He moved quickly out of the Alley and moved on to the city. There were no Heartless. That was a good sign. Suddenly two Dusk Nobodies appeared in front of him.

He stopped abruptly. _My…liege?_ It said.

The other responded. _No. It is the traitor. The one who destroyed millions of his own for selfish purposes._

_Of course. I should have recognized the scent._ The other replied._ He is definitely one of the ones the Superior ordered us to capture._

Axel summoned his chakrams. "Superior? So Xemnas is here? Well, tell him he can come and get me!"

The two Dusks rushed at him. He destroyed both of them with two accurate attacks. Then, A Sorcerer Nobody took form behind him, surrounded by pink cubes. Axel watched as 2 more formed in a line.

He lit his chakrams on fire and swung at the first Sorcerer that came near him. After destroying it, he immediately threw his chakram at another one. He destroyed the next and was satisfied until-

"Where'd the other one go?" He asked himself.

Then, a ring of glowing cubes spun around him. He jumped out of the circle right before they closed in. Looking up, he spotted the Sorcerer hovering slightly above him. He threw his chakram and it was destroyed.

"I've had enough of _this._" He said to himself. "These Nobodies are everywhere all over again."

Axel, taking a back road and trying to stay in the shadows, crept along the rest of the city. He reached Memory's Skyscraper quickly. He looked down…and saw two people there. One of them was Sora. The other, a black cloaked figure, but from his height Axel could tell it was Roxas. So Roxas was revived too. It must be the whole Organization then. Well, that makes things complicated. Axel drew his weapons back into his cloak and stepped out into the neon glow of Memory's Skyscraper. Without hesitation, he strode over to where Sora and Roxas stood.

"So…what was it like…in the Organization?" Sora asked Roxas.

A thoughtful look passed over the Nobody's face. "Well…it was kind of…reassuring actually. We all had a common cause. It was like a family." A slow smile crept across Roxas's face. "Of course family can get your nerves even more than the rest of the world sometimes."

"So you liked being a bad guy?" Sora asked. How could _his_ Nobody be in a bad group and like it?

Roxas suddenly seemed to get more serious. "You have to understand, Sora…we weren't _bad_ really…We just wanted our hearts back. Is that wrong?"

"Well, you plunged entire worlds into darkness to do it!" Sora pointed out, a hint of frustration rising into his voice.

"We had no _choice_! It was the only way we knew of!" Roxas said defensively.

"Well, did you ever look for another way?" Sora asked.

All of a sudden, a voice rang out from behind them. "Oh yeah, we tried a bunch of different things. Once we even tried ripping out other people's hear-"

The voice was cut off suddenly when Sora and Roxas summoned their keyblades and brandished them toward the cloaked figure.

"Whoa, whoa calm down. C'mon, don't tell me you forgot me _again_, Roxas." The man said jokingly.

Both Roxas and Sora recognized the voice in the same instant. "AXEL?!" They said incredulously.

"Yeah, don't look too surprised. I mean, this is happening to the whole Organization, right?"

Roxas and Sora let go of their keyblades, which instantly disappeared.

"It's good to see you again, Axel." Roxas said.

"You saved my life." Sora added. "I probably wouldn't have made it without you."

"Yeah, I know." Axel replied. "But there's no time to waste, we've got business to get down to."

"Right. Organization XIII." Sora said.

And so the newly reunited trio continued on, towards the Castle That Never Was.


End file.
